A CDL holder is convicted of following another vehicle too closely, a classic tailgating behavior often seen in aggressive driving. How does federal law treat this offense?

Explanation

Following another vehicle too closely is listed as a "serious traffic violation" under 49 CFR 383.51, Table 2, in the same category as reckless driving and making improper or erratic lane changes, all classic aggressive-driving behaviors, but a single conviction does not by itself disqualify a CDL holder. This is a genuine, specific federal rule, not just a required-knowledge topic area: Table 2 names "following the vehicle ahead too closely" directly as one of the listed offenses, and 383.51 only imposes a disqualification, starting at 60 days, once a driver's second serious traffic violation within a 3-year period, rising to 120 days for a third. The other options fail for a shared reason: each assumes the offense falls outside federal reach or carries no real consequence at all (state-only, parking-violation-level, personal-vehicle-exempt), when in fact it is a genuine federal category that counts toward disqualification once the 3-year threshold is met, regardless of which vehicle the driver was operating at the time.

Source: 49 CFR 383.51 (Table 2)